GTS 250 vs GTX 260

[BStoltman]

I currently have a EVGA 8800 GTS KO Edition which has been discontinued. The link below is the one I have

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130401

I have been offered $120 for my old card, (Its a long story but he insisted). Anyway So I wanted to go SLI with my card eventually however it has been a year and a half, and I never got a chance to purchase #2 so now I am considering getting a newer card hopefully this time I get a change to get #2 before it is discontinued. Either way I have $120 free money, plus whatever I am willing to add. I am only buying one card for now once again, and am debating between the GTS 250 and GTX 260. I really don't want to spend the the $230, but just can't decide. Is it really worth it to pay the $60 some dollars for it. How much of a difference am I gonna notice from my 8800. I have to be honest I can already play Crysis and Fear 2, on 1680 with almost full anti aliasing without much lag.

Here are the Links to the 2 cards I am considering

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130470

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130443

I also came across this card, is it better than the GTS 250, and in comparison to the EVGA 260?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143155

Thanks for your input. Please give examples where applicable, and comparisons.

PS My specs thus far are

Intel 3GHZ Duo Core E8400
4Gig DDR2 800mhz
Soundblaster X-FI Titanium
2 1.5 Terrabyte Seagate Hardrives
Ultra X2 550 Watt power supply
EVGA 8800 GTS KO
2 LG 22" monitors at 1680x10??

[CaptNKILL]

The BFG says its a 216-core model, which seems odd given the price, but if that's true then its a great buy.

I'm an EVGA fan though, so its sort of a toss up between that and this EVGA GTX 260(192 core):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130464

It comes with a free game and it has a mail in rebate.

Don't bother with any other GTX 260s. They're getting so cheap that spending $230+ on one is kind of a waste.

[john19055]

I would go with a GTX 260 ,because you will be more happy with it since it is a lot more powerful then a GTS 250 ,Newegg has a BFG GTX 260-216 for $179,plus BFG has a good warranty and there customer support is good to.and they have a 100 day set-up plan.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143155

[shabby]

I currently have a EVGA 8800 GTS KO Edition

...

and am debating between the GTS 250 and GTX 260.

Looks like nvidia's renaming scheme works, the gts250 is nothing more than a g92 8800gts, don't even think about buying it.

[Rollo]

Looks like nvidia's renaming scheme works, the gts250 is nothing more than a g92 8800gts, don't even think about buying it.

There's no point in getting into the whole re-naming scheme debate.

OP- order this card NOW before they are gone:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127409

Basically anyone who does not have GTX260C216 level card should be ordering this ASAP- $159.99 for this card clocked at 655 core with FC2 is a steal. There is no other card I would buy this weekend if your budget is up to $200..

[shabby]

There's no point in getting into the whole re-naming scheme debate.

You're right, no need for a debate again... this should be sticked on the top of the forum so less people fall for this scheme.

[K007]

wow i didn't know the 250 is just a renamed gf8 card O.o...wtf is that all about?!

[Tr1cK]

Get the 250, nice sideways "upgrade". LOL

You guys love NV to death no matter what.

[CaptNKILL]

Don't people read reviews anymore? :p

The GTS 250 is a smaller, less expensive version of the 9800 GTX + with a better cooler. Its a solid mid range card, but if you're willing to spend $170 on a 1Gb GTS250, spend a few more dollars on a GTX260.

[Rollo]

Get the 250, nice sideways "upgrade". LOL

You guys love NV to death no matter what.

It's because they bring us cool stuff like industry leading performance and image quality, and brand specific features like 3D Vision and PhysX.

Then we don't have to be reduced to complaining about their naming schemes and how efficient their manufacturing is. :dance:

[john19055]

I would go with the BFG 260-216 for $179 ,it does'nt have the rebate or the free game ,but it has a better warranty and cutomer support .Plus I hate rebates it always seems I do not get mine for some reason.But any GTX 260-216 is going to be better then a GTS 250.I can't believe they are going to change the name of the 92b chip again ,they are getting there money out of that chip.

[BStoltman]

Is it worth the extra money over the BFG for the card below?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130443

[CaptNKILL]

Is it worth the extra money over the BFG for the card below?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130443

Nope.

Its a slightly better card because its the 55nm version but that just means its a little more power efficient. You wouldn't notice the difference for $50.

[BStoltman]

So what are the following components on a graphics card, since it seems they don't make that much of a difference based on what has been said about.

Core Clock

Stream Processors

Memory Clock


Thanks,

[CaptNKILL]

So what are the following components on a graphics card, since it seems they don't make that much of a difference based on what has been said about.

Core Clock

Stream Processors

Memory Clock


Thanks,

They're all important, but what matters most is the type of GPU. No GTX 260 is going to be significantly better than any other GTX 260. The ones that have higher core clocks are just overclocked, and you can do that on your own to a cheaper model for free. Same with the memory clock.

The stream processors are important, but whether you get a GTX260 with 192 or 216 SPs, its still going to be a really nice card. The SPs are basically like mini processors that calculate fancy graphics effects. They don't control everything (there are other factors that determine how quickly your game is rendered) so they aren't necessarily the most important spec to look at.

More is better, but with most high end cards like this they're all going to be very similar, so don't bother spending $50 more for a similar card with a few slightly higher specs.

It gets more complicated with low end cards though because two cards could have the same model (for example a 9500GT) while one might have half the SPs or half the memory clock speed of the other. Luckily, no one does this to high end cards so you're rarely going to see more than a couple percent difference in performance between cards.

[Tho Jo Smale]

What the hell is wrong with NCIX.....I was thinking about picking up a pair of GTS 250's to run in SLi cause I've got a board that'll do that.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36776&vpn=01G-P3-1155-TR&manufacture=eVGA

$268.....wtf for a vanilla GTS 250

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37652&vpn=H487FN1GP&manufacture=HIS

$265.....and it'll destroy that rebadged 9800GTX+

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35105&vpn=AX4870%201GBD5&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1033

$255....with a $15 USD mail in rebate...

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37408&vpn=HD4890%201GB%20GDDR5&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1033

$290.....with a 20 USD mail in rebate


I'm sickened right now by the pricing on these cards....I just wish I had a crossfire board...maybe it's time for a new mobo.

sad...

[Blacklash]

Get the one Rollo linked, or that is this-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127409

[CaptNKILL]

These GTX 260s are getting so cheap that I'm actually wishing I had an SLI board. ;)

[crainger]

Yeah. I just got my 260s, Crysis runs so good.

[CaptNKILL]

Yeah. I just got my 260s, Crysis runs so good.

You should put your specs in that blank area of your sig image. :D

[Tho Jo Smale]

Get the one Rollo linked, or that is this-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127409

No newegg in Canada.....:(


Sorry,


There is Newegg in Canada....but

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127409

$240 for a 260 and the 4890 is only $270

and not even Rollo will try and say the 260 is better than the 4890

[john19055]

Looking at the reviews a GTX 260-216 is about equal to a HD4890,but the 4890 will overclock to nearly 1000 on the core makeing it faster.

[XDanger]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475
break the bank